Research is needed to determine safe and effective exercise rehabilitation programs to prevent and improve physical disability in older adults living with HIV. This problem is of great importance to the VA. The majority of the 25 thousand HIV-infected veterans are over 50 years of age (64%). The combined effect of aging and inflammation increase the risk for physical disability in older HIV-infected veterans. This translational exercise training trial will examine the cardiac and skeletal muscle effects of combined aerobic exercise and resistance training to attenuate the functional declines of aging with HIV by reducing the deleterious consequences of chronic inflammation. Findings will guide future rehabilitation research on cardiac remodeling and inflammation of skeletal muscle. The proposed research will advance the goal to develop effective rehabilitation strategies that improve the health of older HIV-infected veterans.

aerobic capacity [ Time Frame: at baseline and at 16weeks (before and after the intervention phase) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

VO2 peak will be used as the primary measure of aerobic capacity. Subjects will be asked to exercise to voluntary exhaustion during a treadmill test using a modified Bruce protocol.

diastolic function [ Time Frame: at baseline and at 16weeks (before and after the intervention phase) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Exercise stress two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging (stress-echo) will be used to collect data on diastolic function.

Secondary Outcome Measures:

biomarkers of systemic inflammation [ Time Frame: at baseline and at 16weeks (before and after the intervention phase) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Changes in plasma levels of biomarkers of chronic inflammation will be calculated pre/post intervention, and will be tested for association with changes in primary outcomes as well as between group differences.

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of exercise training on the central (cardiovascular) and peripheral (muscular) impairments underlying poor physical function by comparing older HIV-infected veterans randomized to combine aerobic and resistance exercise training versus usual care. The study hypothesis is that a progressive aerobic and resistance rehabilitation program will increase aerobic capacity and muscle strength, which will be mediated by improved diastolic function, increased muscle mass, and decreased systemic inflammation. To test this hypothesis, investigators will conduct a randomized 16-week trial of progressive aerobic and resistance training versus usual care control in 60 sedentary older (50+ years) HIV-infected veterans. The study will determine the effects of exercise training on aerobic capacity and diastolic function, and their relationship to changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiac fibrosis (AIM 1). The study will also determine the effect of exercise training on strength and muscle mass, and their relationship to changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation (AIM 2).

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

50 Years and older

Genders Eligible for Study:

Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

HIV-infected veterans adult 50 years of age and older receiving care at the Salem VA Medical Center

Antiretroviral Therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with comorbid conditions that could have a potential impact on their ability to perform exercise testing and training will be excluded according to the American College of Sports Medicine

Only sedentary adults will be eligible. Individuals that participate in regular structured aerobic exercise or resistance training in the prior 6-months will be excluded

Contacts and Locations

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02101060